Audio Video News

Acoustic Research, a brand with a storied history dating back to the early days of home stereo, has carved out a niche out for itself in wireless speakers since Voxx International acquired the brand more than a decade ago. More specifically, Bluetooth speakers that masquerade as lights.

At the recent CES 2016, AR introduced two stylish, weather-resistant outdoor speakers and an indoor/outdoor LED candle/speaker. All are powered by a rechargeable 12-hour lithium-ion battery and should be available in stores this spring.

The Saratoga ($200, far left in photo) is a 20-watt two-way design with a tweeter, 5-inch driver and bass resonator (passive radiator) that can be connected in stereo pairs. The speaker has three LED lighting modes: solid color, changing multi-color, and a party mode that pulses to the music.

The Santa Clara ($150, far right in photo) is designed for use inside or outside and has the same driver configuration and light modes as the Saratoga but with 10 watts of power, a 3.5mm aux input, and a slightly higher 14-hour rated battery life.

Designed to blend into any home environment, the Wireless Candle LED Speaker ($40) conceals a 4-watt, two-way speaker system in the base of an LED candle.

Visit arspeakers.com for more information.